The Incarnation
by journaljourneyer4
Summary: So...where DID the countries come from? Join Kate and her friends as they begin to answer that first hand, whether they want to or not. Rate T for sexual references and cursing.
1. Chapter 1

The Incarnation, chapter 1

HEY! THE BEGINNING OF AN EPIC SAGA IS HERE!

DISCLAIMER- I do NOT own the Hetalia franchise or any of its characters. Those rights belong to Hidekaz Himaruya!

Kate kept glancing from her book to behind the ruffling bush beside their stone lunch bench. She kept hearing whispers and hisses, but honestly, this was Roswind High School; people got pranked on a daily basis. It was most likely nothing. She tuned back into her older brother arguing with Liam.

"No, no, no! Han SO fired before Greedo, are you kidding?!" Liam seethed. "Have you even watched Star Wars!?" he continued.

"Of course I have, dumbass! And I promise, Greedo shot first! If anything, you haven't seen Star Wars," Kate's brother, Walt, argued.

"Han!"

"Greedo!"

"HAN!"

"GREEDO!"

"WHO CARES!?" Maggie roared, finally looking up from typing out her literary analysis of "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" with an angry flash of a glare. Both boys went quiet. They both knew of the explosive temper of their future valedictorian. Unfortunately, Walt made them mistake of muttering, "Hard ass," under his breath, so Maggie threw a pencil at his neck. Barely leaving a grey mark from the lead, Walt howled in pain and lied down flat on his back. This caused Kate to roll her eyes.

"No blood, no foul, Walt. Sit up, and stop acting like a wuss," she scolded, dog-earring page 172 in "The Beekeeper's Apprentice" and putting the book into her backpack. Walt glared at her.

"I'm marked," he protested, gesturing to the already fading streak. Kate sighed and took out another book, this time a textbook for _la clase de español cuatro._

"Poor baby. You're going to have hallucinations from lead poisoning now," she mock pouted as Maggie snorted. Val looked up from her purple iPod nano, one ear bud dangling while the other remained in her ear.

"Wait, what about hallucinations?" she asked. Everyone gazed at her skeptically. She held up her hands in an "I surrender" gesture, moving her purple curls behind her shoulders with the motion. "I zone in and out. You guys know that," she defended.

"Valentina Jerome, everybody. The only human being that can identify every pitch known to man, but not catch on to a human conversation," Maggie droned, smirking in Val's direction. Val turned red and threw a mushy piece of dough that barely resembled bread at her head. In a smooth motion, Maggie caught the roll and tossed it right back, hitting Val in the face. Kate snorted. These were who she hung out with on a semi-regular basis.

"Can't you two just duke it out already and make life easier for the rest of us?" Liam drawled. Both Val and Maggie shot him a venomous glare.

"Maybe next time I'll stab you with the pencil, right in your pulmonary artery," Maggie suggested, smiling through her glare. Liam raised both eyebrows.

"My artery, huh? Seems a little bit messy. Wouldn't you want to just stab me really deep in an area that's not an artery, so that way I suffer? And there wouldn't be spurts getting on your clothes, in case you were investigated," Liam pointed out.

"I saw somewhere that hydrogen peroxide is really good at getting blood off skin. You think that works with clothes? If that's the case, then you could easily get away with Liam's homicide," Kate thought aloud. Val just looked at them in disgust.

"You three are seriously planning Liam's demise?" she demanded. Unaffected by her tone, Maggie, Kate, and Walt nodded. She sighed in defeat and hung her head. "Honestly, I thought my presence was enough to cure you all. It's obvious, isn't it? You wouldn't kill Liam at all! You'd hire a hitman to do it for you. No muss, no fuss," she huffed, as if it were the biggest issue with this conversation. Walt nodded, his face thoughtful.

"Yeah, but what if he got caught because his work was shitty? Then, he would give you up in the interrogation, and you'd both be fucked! If you want something done right, you do it yourself," he exclaimed. Maggie and Val both threw their uneaten dough-globs at his face.

"Language," the girls chorused in angry unison. Walt put his hands to his face.

"WHY CRUEL WORLD?"

Kate sighed and patted his head awkwardly. Despite being siblings, Kate saw Walt as more a friend than anything. They just happened to be friends that lived in the same apartment. Walt probably saw Kate as pet that amused him and loved her unconditionally.

Like, now, when Walt tackled Kate in a hug and hid his face in her shoulder. "SEE GUYS, MY BABY SISTER STILL LOVES ME," he hollered at the rest of his friends. They laughed at Kate's red face as she was stiff in his arms.

"I'm only four years younger than you are. Get off me, idiot," she muttered, squirming. Walt pouted, but allowed her to get free.

"My own baby, betraying me," he lamented, crossing his arms petulantly. Kate turned red, but reigned in her temper. Oh, how she loathed being reminded that she was younger than him. She acted more mature than him! Didn't that count for anything?

"I am 14. You are 18. There's barely an age gap," she hissed. Walt smirked. "Idiot's enjoying making me mad," she realized with a huff. Walt noticed the huff and smirked even wider.

"Something you want to say to me, little darling?" he baited, grinning wickedly. Kate took a deep breath and reminded herself that there was no point in egging on the moron. It would only make him happy and her more upset.

"Nope. Hey, Val, what's with _pluscuamperfecto_? I thought preterite was the past tense," she asked, effectively changing the subject. Walt pouted while Liam smirked at Kate's maneuver to deal with her brother. Maggie glared at Walt while Val glanced at Kate in sympathy. Kate, of course, didn't notice any of this.

"The _pluscuamperfecto_ is like the past-past perfect. So like, 'I had eaten my food before my mom came home'. Had eaten is the pluscuamperfecto. Usually it's Habia and a verb conjugated with an ado or ido. So the sentence 'I had eaten my toast before my mom came home' would be 'Yo habia comido mi pan antes de mi madre venía a casa.' Does that makes sense?" Val explained. Kate just blinked at her before putting her head in her arms.

"I'm SO failing this quiz," she berated, sighing heavily as she drew her head back up. A panicked look passed Liam's face.

"Wait, that quiz is today?!" he freaked. Kate's face flattened in exasperation.

"You texted me about it last night, Liam. You specifically asked when this quiz was and I answered that it was today, October 13th," she explained. Liam looked even more confused.

"When was this?!" he demanded. Sighing, Kate dug out her phone and showed him the texts. His face turned sheepish.

"Oh, yeah, sorry," he muttered, embarrassed. During this exchange Walt was in a state of shell-shock.

"Wait, he texts you?!" he exclaimed. Kate and Liam gave him looks of "what's your problem?".

"Yeah. We're friends in the same Spanish and English classes. We've been partners on a few projects, too," Kate answered, still looking at her brother as if he were a toad singing "Phantom of the Opera".

"Five projects, and then she helped me with my paper on Al Camino," Liam added. Walt looked ready to faint, and Val and Maggie were both snickering at Walt's physical state. Before Kate could question why her working with Liam for school was so bad, the bell rang, indicating that her _prueba de pluscuamperfecto_ was only minutes away.

"Ready for our grades to meet their doom, my fair Kate?" Liam asked, bowing to her extravagantly. Kate giggled and curtsied to him in the same manner.

"Why yes, my Lord Liam, I believe my grades are well prepared for the peril that is _espanol cuatro._ Shall we?" she offered her arm. Liam linked it with his and he smirked at Walt's gaping, unbelieving, and shocked face. Kate gave her brother a side smile, though her eyes were concerned.

"What do you think is wrong with Walt?" she wondered as they passed the ruffling bush once more.

"Bloody wanker!" Kate and Liam both craned their necks around to the bush, looked at it, and then turned back to enter the building into their hallway. No one ever used this hallway because it was away from a lot of the main classrooms. However it was actually faster because there were no crowds to deal with to get to class.

"Must be some prank those dudes are planning. They were whispering all throughout lunch, did you notice?" Liam asked. Kate nodded.

"Right? I didn't even know we had exchange students. The guy who said 'bloody idiot' was most definitely English, probably from the Central London area," Kate hypothesized, hearing quick-paced footsteps hitting the carpet behind her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw two unfamiliar men. One was kind of petite for a male with striking green eyes and even more striking eyebrows. The other was sipping a Coke. His honey-wheat blonde hair matched his askew glasses covering his blue eyes. Her eyes drew to the blue-eyed man's waistband, mostly because of his baggy leather jacket. Her eyes widened as she saw a black suspicious object in a holder. A pistol.

"How do you know what a Central London accent sounds like? Do you, like, have some accent fetish that I don't know about? Or has all the European television gone to your head? Like, yeah, I mean the Doc's awesome and all, but have you SEEN X-Files? That's some good shit! Or Ghost Adventures, or-" Kate cut off Liam's ramble by gripping his arm tightly.

"Look at the two guys behind us, but don't look-look. Use your periphery and focus on the man with the glasses," she hissed. Liam looked at her in confusion but did as he was told. His eyes widened.

"No one is allowed to have guns in school. Not even the police when they come for drug inspection," he whispered furiously. He looked again and his eyebrows pinched in together in concern. "Kate, they're walking faster now, and I think the guy is reaching for the gun. I've seen movies. I think they're after us. We're the only ones that use this hallway," he hissed urgently. Kate's eyes widened.

"Th-that's stupid! You've watched too many thrillers," she denied shakily, but spared a glance behind her. The men were closer now, about six paces behind instead of the ten paces she remembered before. "Ok, this hallway makes a circle, right?" Liam nodded. "So if they're really following us, then we do the complete circle. If they're still with us, then…"she trailed off, thinking. Liam, however, was panicking.

"Then what?" he demanded in a harsh whisper.

"We start a fire," she answered just as quiet. "Now talk to me like normal," she commanded. "I know what a Central London accent sounds like, because Walt and I went there for a vacation a couple years ago!"

Liam looked at her as if she was crazy, but went along with it. "I assumed it was 'cuz you had a crush on the dude who played the villain in Thor," he yelled, not at all conspicuous. Kate sighed inwardly. She was reminded why he never went out for the school plays with her.

"Tom Hiddleston is my soul mate, Liam. You just can't accept that I've found someone and you haven't," she sniffed, still oozing nervousness.

"FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, ALFRED, JUST SHOOT THE DAMN THING ALREADY," the short blonde one screamed. A blast was heard and Kate saw a dart impale itself in the carpet just a foot ahead of her. Kate needed no more motivation.

"Sprint," she squeaked, tossing her backpack backwards in hopes of slowing down their attackers. Of course, the two men dodged it easily and advanced. Liam heeded her advice, grabbed her arm, and hauled ass. She dug in her heels as they got nearer to a fire alarm. She tugged away from Liam and ran towards the wall where it was.

"What are you doing?" he screamed. Without answering, Kate lifted the plastic cover and pulled down the lever. A shrill tone echoed through the school halls and everyone could hear the moans and cries of fear at the sound as water spouted from the overhead sprinklers. Kate ran back towards Liam, slightly running out of air. The crowds flowed immediately behind them, smothering the two assassins in people and soaking them in water.

Kate and Liam pushed through the crowd, outside, and ran to cross the drainage ditch. "People shouldn't try to kill other people! People need to be nice to other people! Killing people is bad, right?" Kate gasped out in short pants. Liam looked at her in concern.

"Are you ok, dude?" Kate looked at him like he was insane.

"Am I OK!? We just got shot at, Liam! HOW ON EARTH IS THAT OK?!" she yelled, clutching his shoulders. Liam blinked in alarm. Kate rarely yelled, so this was sort of new. He shushed her, as if Kate were just another one of his baby cousins.

"Hey, it's alright. Those two idiots are probably caught up in there, so let's just calm down and hide somewhere until sunset, kay? This whole thing will probably have blown over, so let's go to McDonalds. We'll buy a pop or a McFlurry, and we can just hide in the play fort they have, cool? Just breathe. You're alive," he coaxed. Kate took a deep breath, but then she just started hacking as she tried to let it out. Liam sighed. Kate didn't do too well with stress; she never had.

Liam knelt down, and Kate looked at him, confused. "Hop on. Are you seriously going to deny a free piggy-back ride?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Kate barked breathlessly but climbed onto his back.

I DID A THING! Alright, so this is my first Hetalia fan-fiction on this profile. I know the beginning's a little rough, but it gets so much better, I promise! Please review or fave or follow, and tell me how I did! No flames, please, but if you have CONSTRUCTIVE advice, I'd appreciate it. I will do my best to update weekly, I already have chapter two written up, so expect a new chapter next Friday or Saturday! Maybe earlier, it depends on my schedule.

Italics Translations

l _a clase de espanol cuatro_ \- the class of Spanish Four

 _prueba_ \- test, quiz, or proof

 _Pluscuamperfecto_ \- a verb tense in Spanish language


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO IS UP! YAY! I'll stop blabbing and do the disclaimer!

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN THE HETALIA FRANCHISE. Those rights belong to Hidekaz Himaruya

~_L~_I~_N~_E~_B~_R~_E~_A~_K~

The Incarnation, chapter 2

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU LOST THEM?!" Ludwig barked into the phone. Gilbert was poking the tied-up, purple-haired chick with a stick. She glared at him venomously, her foolish pride preventing her from talking. Ludwig, aka the personification of West Germany sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Keep looking. You know how vital it is we collect them at the proper time-" Snarky muffled remarks could be heard at the end of the line. "Don't take that tone with me! You know how important this is!" An audible sigh created static over the line. "Good. Go." Ludwig hung up, irritated. "They lost them. How the hell do you lose two careless _kinder_?" he demanded. Maggie glared at her captors.

"Because Kate has read more mystery novels than you can count, so she could easily figure out a way to get away. Liam gets very protective of what's his. You hurt her, you'll have two butt-hurt, hormonal teenage boys wanting your blood. No matter the outcome of this battle, you're going to lose the war," she assured haughtily. Gilbert, aka the awesome ex-nation of Prussia raised an eyebrow, smirking.

"Oh, ja? And why is that, _frau_?"

"Kate is loved by all, and Liam is well-liked. Love is a powerful motivator. Love and lust caused the Trojan War. Love was the downfall of the Hundred Years War. Love is a force not to be underestimated," she explained, snorting as if that were obvious. "Like really? Haven't you two ever picked up a history book?" The two men glared at her.

"We are history," Ludwig stated flatly.

"You are when Walt wakes up. He finds out that you've sent some assassin out for his little sister, you're dead," Val hissed, forgetting her personal vow to stay quiet. Gilbert poked her in the head with the stick once more. She attempted to head-butt Gilbert who moved out of range with that same damn smirk.

"I'll take my chances. Oh no, three whiny teenage girls and two weak teenage boys! Whatever am I to do?" Gilbert mocked. Val and Maggie turned the same shade of red.

"Why don't you untie us and we can find out, you asshole albino?" Maggie growled, a murderous glint in her eyes.

"Just curious, how did Liam and Kate escape? I mean, obviously you guys are such professionals, it must be embarrassing to lose two high school kids," Val pointed out. Ludwig turned red.

"That's none of your business."

"You're kidnapping all of us. That makes it our business, tough guy. Spill," Maggie commanded.

Gilbert snorted. "Honestly, wasn't much of a kidnapping. You two were easy. That's why you two are still conscious. Your boy toy, on the other hand, was a fucking pain in the _arsch_. My guess is that your two unawesome friends will end up the same. I mean, they fucking pulled a goddamn fire alarm to avoid getting caught-" Gilbert was cut off by the sound of his brother's hand hitting his forehead. "Well, shit. Don't think that means your unawesome friends are clever, though. The two we sent after them are idiots. A gerbil could outsmart them."

"Good. Then Liam and Kate are getting out of this. Thanks for the reassurance," Maggie smirked. Honestly, she knew that there was no way she was going to survive, but if she was going to die, she was going to die unafraid, like a soldier.

"Urgh...Kate? KATE!" Walt bolted up and hit the side of the van with his head. He, Ludwig, and Gilbert groaned in unison, though they all had a different reason for groaning. "You go after my baby sister, you will die. 100 percent guaranteed. Whitmans are fucking walls and nothing can bring us down, you hear!?" Walt seethed, managing to stand up in his bounds. Ludwig pinched the bridge of his nose.

"We heard you the first eight times, you little terror. Now are you going to be obedient this time around, or are you going to resist?" Ludwig demanded. Walt spat at Ludwig's eye. A satisfying splat was heard as the saliva made contact while Maggie and Val sighed. Ludwig growled as Gilbert rolled his eyes and brought out a syringe. Swiftly, Prussia jabbed the needle into Walt's neck. Walt tensed for a moment, before falling back to the pavement with a thud.

The girls winced. Walt was ruining the group's morale by attempting to be strong but looking pathetic as a result. All they could do was hope that Liam and Kate were smart enough to evade capture.

~_L~_I~_N~_E~_B~_R~_E~_A~_K~

The McDonald's cashier had given them odd looks when the two soaking wet teens ordered a large fry, a vanilla milkshake, and a large drink. Regardless, the cashier took their order, and now the two high school students were hiding in the main tube channel of the play fort. Kate wasn't really eating the large fry, just sipping on her Sprite. Liam looked at her in concern.

"Kate, you've gotta eat something. In case those psychos find us again, and we have to make a quick getaway," Liam coaxed. Kate's head shot up, paler than she had been in the entire time Liam had known her.

"You're saying they're going to find us? I thought you said we'd be pretty safe here," she panicked, starting to breathe quicker and quicker. Liam waved his hands in front of her frantically.

"No, no, no! That's really unlikely. Just in case, though, you need to keep your strength up," Liam back-pedalled. Kate's breathing went back to normal, but she looked more sullen and sulky.

"I already feel like I'm going to puke. Greasy fries aren't going to help," she muttered, turning away from him. He looked down at the large soda critically.

"And Sprite is?" he retorted. Kate gave him a tired glare, trying to stop the throbbing in her skull. Kate nodded.

"Yeah, actually. Has most citric acid. For whatever reason, citric acid calms my stomach. Same with Walt. We always had Sprite to drink when we had a stomach bug," she agreed, yawning. This was the most tiring, stressful day she had encountered since first semester finals, and those hadn't bided well either. She leaned her forehead against Liam's shoulder. "I want to sleep, but I need to stay alert. Why did we have to become an assassin's target practice?" she demanded. Liam sighed and shook his head.

"I dunno, Kate. Maybe they mistook us for someone else. I mean, we haven't done anything. We haven't started a school drug smuggling ring, or threatened anybody! Our families aren't rich, if they're looking for ransom. They don't have a good reason for trying to kill us," Liam reasoned. Kate snorted.

"They weren't trying to kill us, even though that's probably nicer. They were trying to drug us and kidnap us. Why else would they use a dart? Sure poison, but the first thing the coroner would do is run a tox screen. If you want to get away with murder and not get caught, you're better of just using a pistol with normal bullets," she thought out, despite the throbbing. Yep, definitely a migraine coming on. Liam chuckled wryly.

"Even when you're about to die, you're still the ultimate logician. How do you do that?" he wondered. Kate smiled humorlessly.

"I focus on factors, not the whole equation. Makes everything a lot less scary." She smirked. "That, and I watch BBC. Sherlock and Doctor Who have a bunch of death. Maybe the media's made me immune," she joked, even though her face and voice were flat. Liam rubbed her shoulder, trying to be comforting, but she flinched away. "Don't. It's not you. My brain is, like, on sensory overload. It happens when I get stressed. Every touch feels like a punch, every sound echoes, everything looks like a kaleidoscope," she explained. Liam gave her a pitying look, but his face quickly turned to one of fear.

"Down the slide. Now," he ordered, his eyes locked on an all-too-familiar piece of hair defying gravity at the McDonalds counter. Kate looked through the window, and she ducked down in the tunnel.

"No. We stay. He doesn't know we're here. He's a grown man. What are the chances he's going to come into a little kid's playground?" she argued. The bespectacled man seemed to finish the order, and he started walking towards the playground entrance. Liam's face flattened in disbelief.

"Apparently our kidnapper is a giant, fucking, man-child. He's coming into the playground," he informed, as the man entered the kid room and started to take off his shoes. Kate's head shot up, making her vision swim with black dots. Her face drooped.

"Fuck, shit, damn, whore, fuck nut, wanker, GAH," she exclaimed in frustration. Liam looked at her questioningly. "I'm allowed to curse when we're in danger. Sue me," she grumbled. She was just so done. She couldn't even.

"Your brother would kill you if he heard those words come from your mouth," Liam pointed out. Kate paled.

"Oh shit. Walt! And Val and Maggie! What happened to them? Maybe we can call them and they can get us help," she suggested, brightening and taking out her cell phone.

"I don't think that's going to help, dudette," a man's, no, more like a teenager's, voice advised. During their conversation, the man-child kidnapper had crept up into the fort as well. Kate screamed at the top of her lungs and flung the Sprite all over the man. Liam followed suit and did the same with his vanilla milkshake. The man yelped in surprise as the two friends crawled rapidly to the slide. They slid down and went out the emergency exit only to run right into a short man. The man "oofed" in surprise, but then he smirked.

"Just the children we needed to see," he commented patronizingly. Kate looked up, only to see a soaking wet, big-eyebrowed man. Kate yelped as he grasped her wrist firmly and Liam growled as he was in the man's clutches as well. Kate thought back to her first-grade self-defense karate classes. She twisted her wrist towards the hand's opening, and surprisingly she got free. Trying to be useful for once, Kate punched the man with the hand she just got free. It hit him right on target, and the man actually staggered back. Kate hissed and shook her stinging hand, tears starting to come to her eyes. Because of the man's confused state, he dropped Liam and they sprinted away. No more than three seconds of running the two were tackled from behind.

"Not. Cool," the man from McDonalds seethed, dripping vanilla milkshake and soda. Liam snorted derisively.

"You know what else isn't cool? Kidnapping and assault. That's not cool at all," Liam retorted. Reality totally sinking in, Kate burst into tears.

"Letmegoletmegoletmegoletmegoletmego," she wailed, squirming under the man's weight. The man just laughed.

"HAHAHA! You think the crying act is going to help? Seriously, one of your friends used that on Luddy, and that SO didn't go over well. I wasn't born yesterday, kid," the man chuckled, genuinely amused.

"FUCK YOU, IT ISN'T AN ACT! WHO THE HELL TAUGHT YOU HOW TO TREAT A GIRL?!" Liam roared, actually getting out from under the kidnapper and going for his head. The kidnapper somersaulted backwards into a fighting pose, getting off of Kate. Kate stayed on the ground for a moment to stabilize her breathing before getting up. Her vision was still blurry from tears, but she could see the shapes of Liam and the kidnapper fighting. Ignoring the tightness and discomfort in her gut and chest, she ran as fast as she could to a tree on one of the medians. She quickly tore off a skinny branch and ran towards the two figure fighting. Well, Liam was fighting. The kidnapper was just dodging every punch or kick Liam threw. Half way to the fight, a pair of arms held her back from behind.

"Stop," the petite British man commanded, even though it sounded more like he was pleading. "You're very close to hyperventilating. If you keep putting yourself under so much pressure, you're going to collapse. Calm down, it will make this easier for both of us," he tried to convince. Kate struggled even harder.

"I want out," she sobbed. The stress of struggling against an attacker and the tight grip around her abdomen was just too much. The contents of her stomach made their way onto the pavement as the Englishman winced at the sound of her retching.

The other kidnapper came over, wincing at the brown glop pooling on the parking lot. "Ok, ew. Maybe she wasn't fake crying," he admitted to his captive, who was now restrained by duct tape. Liam glared at his kidnapper venomously.

"YOU THINK?" he screamed. "YOU WILL ALL DIE! I WANT YOU FUCKERS DEAD!"

"About time, you two! Can't handle two kinder?" a voice shouted from across the parking lot. An albino man with a German accent strode over to them, holding a tied-up Val over his shoulder in a fireman's hold, Val's legs on his front side. Liam pulled violently towards Val, but his captor's grip never loosened.

"Val! You ok? Ok, stupid question. WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU PEOPLE?" Liam demanded.

"Kesesesesese, you wouldn't believe us if we told you, kid. Nice going with fire alarm, not that it did you much good," the albino kidnapper laughed. His laughter stopped when he smelled and saw the vomit.

"Gross. Seriously, Arthur? I thought you said the drug was non-toxic. She shouldn't be getting sick," Gilbert snorted. He finally took a good look at the younger kidnapper and snickered. "Have a fight with the soda machine, Alfred?"

Alfred turned bright red. "Fuck you, dude!" Val grit her teeth, pissed that they were acting as if a vomiting girl was normal.

"You jerks DRUGGED her?! She's only 14," Val yelled, squirming.

"We didn't drug her. She forced this on herself," Arthur argued. Kate gave one last final retch before glaring at everyone through red, swollen, blue eyes.

"Happy?" she croaked, tears starting to slow down. That just about did it for Val. She craned her head forward towards Gilbert's back and bit at the skin when she was in range. Gilbert hissed and placed Val on the concrete feet first.

"Ze fuck, _verrückte Hexe_? No one attacks the awesome me," Gilbert claimed, red in the face. Val completely ignored him and bunny-hopped (her legs had little movement) over to the panicking girl.

"Kate? Look at me. How many heads do you see on me?" she asked, her eyebrows pinching in concern. Kate gave a watery snort, mucus dribbling down from her nose.

"You look like you have one head. I don't have a concussion," she answered, congested from all the crying.

"WHAT ARE YOU ALL DOING?! WE HAVE A SCHEDULE TO KEEP," a new voice yelled, a male body slung over his shoulder. Kate flinched and turned to see a muscular blonde man with...oh fuck. Kate's pity-party was over. All body maladies forgotten, Kate grabbed a rock and chucked it at the man's head. He dodged it easily, but he stormed over to the girl.

"Stop. You've lost," the man snapped. Kate glared at him, vomit trailing down from her lip.

"Put. Walt. Down. Right. Now," she commanded, puffing her chest out. The man looked unamused.

" _Nein_. Make this easy and come with us, so you don't end up like Walter," the man retorted.

" _Nein_ ," Kate mimicked, crossing her arms. "Screw you, your over-gelled hair-cut, and your stupid kidnapping scheme. We have nothing of value. Ransom money? Uh, not going to work. Parents are all middle-class, average Americans. Government information? Have none, no one here knows anyone who works for the government. Sending the state into panic to support your terrorist group? We're wallflowers. No one really knows who we are. Face it. The kidnapping plan was one giant logistical error. You're wasting your time," she lectured.

The kidnappers blinked; they hadn't expected a full analysis of the situation. Granted, it was wrong, but still, not bad for an American teenager. "Why should I listen to a stupid, little girl?" the blonde barked. Kate aimed a kick to his testicles, which he dodged. Kate aimed another kick for the back of his knees, and she missed once again. She ran full speed at his torso and actually managed to make him stumble. Walt tumbled out of his arms onto the ground. Kate rushed to her fallen brother. Still out cold, Walt lied there like a tossed-around rag doll. Kate slapped his cheek lightly.

"Walt? Walt? Come on, bro, wake up, please? Walt?!" Kate panicked, checking for a pulse. Thankfully, it was still there and pounding strong. "Walt, I'm getting married to a Russian male stripper named The Abdominal Snowman," she tried frantically. Walt shot up.

"You're WHAT!?" The kidnappers groaned. Their main troubles had doubled. "Kathryn Joanne Whitman, you better be kidding, or-" Walt paused, looked around at all the dark faces of the kidnappers and the splotchy quality of his sister's face. His panicked face turned to one of absolute murder.

"Which one of you wants to die first?" he asked, his voice sickly sweet. The blonde rolled his eyes and nodded slightly to the albino. Albino Kidnapper nodded and restrained Walt from the back. Kate lurched forward after him.

"Walt-!" She was restrained from the back by her neck. She gagged for a minute. Craning her chin downward, she bit at the German's forearm. He growled, but didn't let her go as he plunged something sharp into her neck. She was actually thankful she didn't see the needle.

Kate's world went black.

~_L~_I~_N~_E~_B~_R~_E~_A~_K~

AND DONE! Sorry for the late chapter, but I just started a new job. I will post chapter 3 in the next week or so, so keep an eye out! Please tell me what you think, but please use constructive criticism, not flames. Thanks! JJ, out!

Translations (according to google translate)

 _Kinder-_ children

 _frau_ -woman

 _Verrukte Hexe_ \- fucking witch

 _Nein_ \- No


	3. Chapter 3

The Incarnation, chapter 3

HEY ALL! CHAPTER 3 IS HERE!

DISCLAIMER- HETALIA IS NOT MINE!

Kate stirred, hearing muffled whirrs of what sounded like an engine. Her eyes opened only to see steel grey walls surrounding her, instead of the lavender and mint green walls. No Hobbit poster, no quotes, not even her framed JK Rowling autograph. Just a wall analog clock, an exact replica to the ones she saw in her classrooms. Everything was gone. She shot up, ignoring the relentless pounding in her head. Despite her aching...well EVERYTHING, she remembered clearly what had happened.

" _Non_! I refuse to be part of some stupid conspiracy," Kate heard a French girl proclaim. Irritated grumbles of foreign languages-Kate bet they were cuss words- followed shortly, and the girl's voice got quieter and quieter as she was taken away.

She had to escape.

Kate thought back to all of her mystery novels. Nancy Drew? No, she was too juvenile to escape anything. Poirot? No, he didn't really do much action wise, especially regarding escape. Sherlock Holmes? Closer, but Holmes was a bit too proper for this instance. Her mind lit up. John Quincannon and Sabina Carpenter! Perfect amount of smarts and force. She glanced around her room, and she was quickly disappointed to see that there weren't any air vents in her room. She looked at the steel grey bedside table and scowled at the two pills sitting beside a glass of water. She flicked the pills off of the table, poured out the glass of water, and stalked to the nearest wall. She placed one of the ends of the glass on the wall and her ear on the other.

"We may as well be captives. No matter the quality of the jail, we're still prisoners. Where are my brothers? Are they alive? God, if they're hurt, then I'm going to have to save their sorry asses, and then find a way to explain to Helena why we didn't come home. God fucking damn it, why is it that stupid things happen to me?! No, they happen to Marc and Jack and we're all fucking magnets to each other, so naturally everything that happens to them happens to me. Fuck my life! You hear that, life?! You're a bloody piece of shit," an English girl raged, slamming something against the wall. Kate flinched back.

"This has to be an international child trafficking ring. That's gotta be it. There's no other explanation," she muttered, starting to pace around her room. "Do people even accept slaves anymore? Or is it for illegal adoption? People are denied when they fill out adoption paperwork, they go to this smuggling ring, and for a price, these people supply the kids. I'm not all that conspicuous, so no one would notice if I was missing. Once we're with the families, what happens? I'm a teen, old enough to know I'm not with my real parents. Or the trafficking audience could be pedophiles," Kate theorized out loud, stopping her pacing. She glanced at the door and felt her heart freeze. There was one way out of this room, and she knew she had at least four allies on this ship. She was going to do this.

Creeping cautiously to the door, Kate twisted the knob, and was a bit suspicious when the door actually opened. However, no ninjas or assassins popped out to attack her again, so she ventured to the door next to her, to where she heard the girl yelling. She knocked hesitantly. A few seconds passed, and there was no answer. Kate grabbed the knob and frowned to see that it was locked. Kate brightened when she saw that the lock was one of those where you didn't need a key, but it was just a slot. She placed her thumbnail in it and twisted it to the side. Now unlocked, Kate eased the door open, stepped into the room, and was immediately hit in the head with a pillow. She lost her balance and fell to her butt.

"Hey! What gives? You're the one who locked the stupid door," Kate protested, getting back up to her feet. Another pillow was launched at her, but Kate was smart enough to evade the attack. "Relax! I'm not one of the kidnappers! If you wanted to get out, you could have just gone right through the door," she tried to convince. The girl put down her pillow slowly.

Kate was taken aback. This girl didn't look like a teen at all! She looked to be 21 at the least, with her curvy, mature body and a well-kept copper-wire red bun on the top of her head, almost like a college student. She was wearing grey sweats and a black t-shirt advertising Manchester United. Kate snapped out of her confusion when the woman demanded, "Who are you?" Kate took a shaky breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She quickly went over a calm, collected introduction of herself so the girl would want to help her.

Instead, this is what came out. "My name is Kate. Kate Joanne Whitman. Kidnapped me and them and missing brother and home not! Me help escape but books mystery not real, and heard I missing brothers and evil guys and-" The woman held up a hand.

"Easy there, Shakespeare. I get it, you were kidnapped and looking for help. Your friends were nabbed as well, along with your brother. The mystery books, I have no idea. You ok now?" the woman asked impatiently. Kate bit her tongue and nodded.

"Yeah. Sorry. How old are you?" The girl looked taken aback, but answered the question.

"18. You?" Oh, so she wasn't that old after all. 18 was still considered a kid in some cultures.

"14. Sorry. I figured out why we were kidnapped and now we have to get out of here. We're involved in something way over our heads," Kate warned. The girl rolled her eyes.

"You figured that out all on your own, squirt? I had no idea," she drawled. Kate clenched her fists. It was like Walt on his worst day times two, only female.

"Fine. Let yourself be a part of a child trafficking ring. See if I care. Have fun trying to find your brothers," she snorted, speed walking out the door. The girl shot up and ran after her.

"How'd you know about Marc and Jack!? Hey! I'm talking to you, kid!"

~_L~_I~_N~_E~_B~_R~_E~_A~_K~

England watched boredly at Kathryn Whitman's monitor. She was still sleeping. It didn't help matters that the insufferable country of France was whining next to him since they both were assigned to the security of the rooms right next to each other. "Why did I get chosen to look after this one and her freres!? She's awful! Just look at her clothes! She's worse than you, Angleterre," he moaned despairingly. England just rolled his eyes.

"Oh, belt up. None of these brats are desirable. Everyone is suffering just as much as you, I'm sure," he snapped.

"Non, that's not true! I'm watching your horrible enfants! It's ten times worse for me than anyone else," he cried. England snapped and threw a tape dispenser at France's head. He smirked at the groan of pain that emitted from the frog's mouth.

"My people are perfectly fine, thank you very much. Honestly, if we hadn't bloody kidnapped them and gone with my idea of approaching them at a counseling office like it was bloody normal, the children would be a lot more pleasant. But no! We had to go with Germany's plan and take them by force because apparently it's easier! How is dealing with the teenage attitude that comes afterward easier!?" Arthur demanded, spinning aggressively in his computer chair.

France's response was cut off by Arthur stopping his spinning, sitting up straight, and staring at the screen. "About time, Miss Whitman. Any longer, and you would have been in a coma," he scolded the screen as if she could actually hear him. Kathryn sat up quickly and looked around her, panic setting in. "Don't do that again. Do you want to vomit?" he demanded. He felt a bit like he was shouting at the telly because of a football match. Not that he ever did that, because that was so undignified, especially for such an esteemed member of British society.

" _Mon petit_ , I believe talking to the footage won't do anything," France pointed out.

"Piss off." Arthur continued to watch. Kathryn glared at the pills and the glass of water before flicking the Advil off the table and dumping the glass of water on the carpet. Arthur's mouth dropped in disbelief. Was the girl really that stupid? Or really that paranoid?

"Damn it, you git! You're supposed to take the bloody medicine! You shouldn't be feeling well yet," he yelled. He watched as Kathryn put the glass to the wall with her ear against the glass. He hung his head. "For God's sake, the girl's acting like she's in a bloody spy movie."

France glared at the screen as Viola screamed profanities at the world. "We may as well be captives. No matter the quality of the jail, we're still prisoners. Where are my brothers? Are they alive? God, if they're hurt, then I'm going to have to save their sorry asses, and then find a way to explain to Helena why we didn't come home. God fucking damn it, why is it that stupid things happen to me?! No, they happen to Marc and Jack and we're all fucking magnets to each other, so naturally everything that happens to them happens to me. Fuck my life! You hear that, life?! You're a bloody piece of shit!"

"She's so English, it makes me ill," he deadpanned. Arthur turned bright red but said nothing. As Viola hit the wall, Kathryn flinched back.

"This has to be an international child trafficking ring. That's gotta be it. There's no other explanation," Kathryn stated, starting to pace around her room. "Do people even accept slaves anymore? Or is it for illegal adoption? People are denied when they fill out adoption paperwork, they go to this smuggling ring, and for a price, these people supply the kids. I'm not all that conspicuous, so no one would notice if I was missing. Once we're with the families, what happens? I'm a teen, old enough to know I'm not with my real parents. Or the trafficking audience could be pedophiles," Kathryn said to no one. Arthur and France gazed at the screen in skepticism at what they were hearing.

"Despite the fact she's utterly wrong, it's actually a decent prediction," Arthur mused. France nodded.

"I never thought Americans could be that logical."

"Wait, don't leave! Go back into the room," Arthur flipped out. He relaxed a little when he saw Kate knock on the door of the room next to her. He watched in anticipation as she knocked on the door again. Much to his relief, no one answered. Just when Arthur expected her to give up and go sulk in her room, his mouth dropped open when Kate managed to pick the lock. "Great. She picks locks. Of bloody course we have to deal with bloody delinquents," he groaned, rubbing his eyes with his arm. France shrugged.

"Well, it's not that hard to pick these locks. It's just a slot. She simply has decently long nails," France explained, wincing as he saw the Kate girl fall because Viola threw a pillow at her.

"Hey! What gives? You're the one who locked the stupid door," Kate questioned. On the screen, she got back up on her feet. France hung his head as Viola launched another pillow across the room. She was almost worse than the temperamental Englishman in the room. "Relax! I'm not one of the kidnappers! If you wanted to get out, you could have just gone right through the door!"

"Who are you?" Viola demanded.

"My name is Kate. Kate Joanne Whitman. Kidnapped me and them and missing brother and home not! Me help escape but books mystery not real, and heard I missing brothers and evil guys and-" Viola held up a hand.

"Your charge is so eloquent," France teased, throwing an infuriating smirk to the British man next to him. Arthur glared at him.

"As is yours," he retorted. France shrugged good-naturedly.

"Touche." The two tuned back into the footage.

"You figured that out all on your own, squirt? I had no idea!" England took note of how Kate's hands folded into fists. Obviously good at keeping in anger, but she despised being talked down to, like most semi-intelligent kids.

"Fine. Let yourself be a part of a child trafficking ring. See if I care. Have fun trying to find your brothers," Kate manipulated. Arthur couldn't help but smile a tiny bit. She was smart, at least. That would make her more bearable to deal with once they were comfortable with being with them. When that would be, probably not anytime soon. France sucked in a breath between his teeth.

"Low blow, mademoiselle Whitman," he murmured. "She's going to be a pain in the neck to deal with," he pointed out. Arthur winced, remembering the pick-up.

"She already is a pain." Arthur and Francis eyed the monitors with interest as the girls went down the hallway and off the monitor. "You think we should notify Germany that the girls have left the hallway?" France waved his hand.

" _Non_. It's not like they can get away. Let _les petits_ waste their energy."

~_L~_I~_N~_E~_B~_R~_E~_A~_K~

"How do you know about my brothers?" Viola demanded again. Kate rolled her eyes, as did Val and Maggie. Kate had gone through all the doors in her hallway and miraculously found her two friends.

"She's psychic," Maggie finally snapped.

"Screw you, it's a decent question! How do I know I can trust you lot?" Viola accused, glaring at the three.

"We're letting you tag along to the other hallways for a start," Val answered, also annoyed with the aggravatingly obnoxious snobbiness.

"That means nothing! You could be leading me to a gas chamber for all I know," Viola protested. Kate was seriously regretting going into Viola's room. At least Walt didn't whine this much while being patronizing.

"The first thing I did when I woke up was try to figure out where I was and who was around me. I had a glass of some liquid-"

"Why don't you just say water like a normal person? You sound ridiculous! Do you even hear yourself when you talk?" Viola snapped. Kate couldn't believe the ignorance of this girl.

"Don't you ever read? Or watch a crime show? It looked like water, but it could have been laced with something else! Until I know what's going on, I'm being as careful as possible. Anyway, I dumped the stuff out and used the glass to listen through the walls for the guys who kidnapped us. I heard you ranting about your brothers. Not that hard," Kate explained impatiently. Viola blinked.

"I thought that only worked in the movies," she responded, actually sounding vaguely impressed.

"Nope. You see, when sounds travel through walls, the velocity of the sound wave decreases. You make sure that the waves that come through the glass to your ear aren't going anywhere outside the glass, like a tunnel. The wave is contained in the glass, so the sound reflects off of the sides of the glass," Kate explained. Viola actually chuckled.

"You're sure your 14?" Kate smiled back. At least now Viola seemed to trust them. Maggie came to halt in front of them, staring into the main hallway.

"We may have to rethink our escape plan," Maggie informed shakily. Val's eyebrows pinched together in confusion.

"Why?" Kate, Val, and Viola all came to the entrance to the main hallway and their mouths dropped open when they looked out the window to see nothing but a baby blue sky and puffy white clouds. Kate pinched the bridge of her nose.

"We're on an effing blimp. Of course we are. They're already transporting us to the black market," she groaned, attempting to keep her thoughts in order. All she could think of were planes, and obviously those weren't going to able to help.

"Kate?" Kate's head shot up at the familiar voice. Walt and Liam were leading a group of boys down the opposite hallway to the main. Relief flooded through her.

"Walt!" Without thinking, she tackled him in a hug. He groaned, but a smile was on his face anyways. "Are you ok?" Walt pushed themselves up to a sitting position.

"I'm fine, kid. You?"

"I'm ok."

"ViVi!" Two 18-year-old boys emerged from the few boys behind Walt and Liam and tackled Viola to the ground. She yelped at the sudden contact and rolled her eyes as she hit the floor.

"Marc, Jack. If you want me to reciprocate your feelings of relief, you will get off of me," Viola snapped, even though everyone could hear the undertones of relief in her voice. Once family hellos and "OH MY GOD YOU'RE NOT DEAD"'s were out of the way, the two groups stood and stared at each other awkwardly.

"So! When did you all get snatched up?" a boy about Kate's age with tousled back hair and vibrant brown eyes asked, attempting to pull off a bubbly, carefree smile. His pale skin didn't allow the smile to show for long.

"A few days ago," Val answered amiably. "You guys?" Kate stiffened. She had been out for a few days!?

"Since yesterday. My phone's gone, so I can't get our coordinates," another boy grumbled, this one tan-skinned with blonde hair and hazel eyes. His board shorts gave away where he was from- Santa Barbara, California.

"Well, let's hope that our new owners are ok. Otherwise there's no way out of this, unless we land and escape all at once," Kate thought out loud. Everyone looked at her in confusion.

"Owners? What are you talking about?" a fourteen-year-old boy with an Italian accent asked, tilting his head, like an innocent puppy.

"This is an international kid smuggling ring. They kidnap us, their customers buy us. Some get tortured, some will get families that were unable to adopt or conceive," she explained.

"Why the hell are you _idiotas_ out of your rooms!?" an angry Italian voice shouted. The fourteen year old paled and some of the other group of kids did too. Kate raised an unimpressed eyebrow. What were they going to do? They needed her to supply to their buyers. They couldn't do anything to her. Kate shrugged and moved closer to Walt and Liam.

"Security sucks. I walked right out the door and no lasers or alarms went off or anything," she answered. The angry Italian sized her up with a glare and rolled his eyes.

"You're that bitchy Kathryn _chica_ , aren't you?" he asked, crossing his arms. Kate stiffened at the usage of her full name, but she didn't say anything. Walt pulled her closer to him.

"Ve~ Germany, I found Romano," another Italian hollered, much happier than the Italian in front of them. The detainees looked at each other in confusion. Germany? Romano? "Romano" turned a bright red and grit his teeth.

" _Bastardo! Noi non dovremmo usare i nostri nomi dei paesi_ ," Romano yelled. Despite his anger, the other Italian hugged Romano from behind.

" _Fratello, non è come se si sa che cosa significa,_ " the happier Romano replied.

" _VERDAMMT_! You're supposed to be helping me, you _dummkopfs_! Not sneaking off! And-" Ludwig stopped abruptly when he saw the group of kids and face-palmed his forehead so hard, it was a wonder it wasn't bleeding. "AM I THE ONLY COMPETENT ONE ON THIS AIRCRAFT!?"

Kate's spine was so straight at this point, it could've be used as a nun's wooden measuring stick. She knew that it was unwise of her captors to actually hurt them, but Ludwig was downright terrifying, with his booming voice, buff demeanor, and calculating stare. Who was to say that he wouldn't hurt her?

"No. It seems pointless to notify you if the children escaped because there's no possible way for them to actually escape," the British man answered, coming into the hallway with another blonde man following, only this one was a lot more girly with longer hair and a blue tunic dress thing on top of red leggings.

"Not when we're doing physical examinations," Ludwig retorted. Gilbert came down the other hallway with a very disgruntled, athletic girl with a blonde pixie cut and green eyes.

 _"Je suis convaincu que cela est illégal,"_ she muttered spitefully in French while Gilbert smirked.

 _"Nous sommes au-dessus de la loi. Se habituer à lui,_ " he replied in flawless French. Gilbert's smirk widened when he saw Kate and Walt. "Hey, kiddos! You two are the last patients!" Kate's fists clenched.

"I'm not going anywhere else with you psychos. And you can threaten all you want, but you can't actually hurt any of us. Not if you want your money," Kate sniffed, trying her best to hide her trembling. Gilbert laughed.

"Enlighten me. Why exactly can't we hurt you?" he drawled. Kate exhaled, hating how her breath shook.

"We're nothing but objects to sell. You all are a part of an international children smuggling ring. Your motive is money, but you don't get any of the money unless what you're selling is in good condition," she told him. Gilbert laughed loudly. Very Loudly.

" _Mein Gott_ , kid, how stupid are you?" The words stung and Kate recoiled as if she had been slapped.

"Hey! Leave her alone," Walt snapped, stepping up closer to his sister. Gilbert continued to laugh.

"You are only a child, _frau_! You can't go up against people like us. We are capable of things your unawesome minds can't even imagine!" Arthur shot a meaningful glare at the albino. He was only egging on the kids to hate their guts later.

"Gilbert, there's beer in the kitchen from our last stop. It's all yours," Francis rushed, seeing the evil look being shot Gilbert's way. The Englishman could go all pirate on Gil's ass at any moment, and Francis knew it. Gil brightened and rushed towards the kitchen.

"I believe I will escort Walter and Kathryn to their physical examination, Ludwig. You've done enough," Arthur said tightly. He turned to Walt and Kate. "We can either walk to the examination like civilized people, or we can drag you kicking and screaming. I think walking would be easier for all of us." Wordlessly, Walt and Kate nodded.

Kate had been wrong. That's what scared her the most. These men didn't kidnap her for a smuggling ring. Then why was she taken?

~_L~_I~_N~_E~_B~_R~_E~_A~_K~

AND SCENE! THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING!

Translations-

 _Non_ \- no

 _les petits_ \- the small ones

 _Mon petit_ \- my small one

 _Idiotas_ \- Idiots

 _chica_ \- girl

 _Bastardo! Noi non dovremmo usare i nostri nomi dei paesi-_ Bastard! We're not supposed to use our country names!

 _Fratello, non è come se si sa che cosa significa-_ Brother, it's not like they know what it means

 _VERDAMMT_!- DAMN IT!

 _Dummkopfs-_ Dumb heads

 _Je suis convaincu que cela est illégal-_ I'm convinced that this is illegal

 _Nous sommes au-dessus de la loi. Se habituer à lui-_ We are above the law. Get used to it.

 _Mein Gott-_ My God

 _frau-_ woman


	4. Chapter 4

The Incarnation, chapter 4

DISCLAIMER- I DON'T OWN HETALIA! Now on with the story!

Kate and Walt walked in silence with the Englishman behind them, in case they tried to run. Kate, despite her attempts to handle this situation maturely, kept a firm grip on her brother's arm. Thankfully, Walt didn't say anything teasing, and he stayed silent. Arthur knocked on the door.

"Alfred? Are you ready for the last two? It's the Whitmans," he called.

"You have to call me by my title, Artie," Alfred's voice sang from behind the wooden door. Arthur turned red and glared at the door. Kate and Walt looked at Arthur and the door wearily, unsure of what was going to happen next.

"Git, you don't have a bloody title! Open the damn door," Arthur snapped.

"Come on, Iggy! I totally do! I have a PhD , so I do have a title," Alfred retorted through the door with a laugh. Kate paled at the word that came into her mind. Arthur grit his teeth.

"Doctor Jones, are you ready for the next two?" he hissed, not enjoying the game. Alfred laughed loudly.

"Sure am, dude! Bring in the next two patients," Alfred hollered. Kate scooched away from the door, still holding onto Walt. Arthur saw her inching away and gave her a steady stare.

"You're not going anywhere. Ludwig would pick you up and carry you back here," he pointed out. Walt scowled at him.

"She hates doctors, you creep," he snarled. Arthur stared at the girl in pity. She responded with a weak glare.

"I assure you, Kathryn, nothing is going to happen to you. It's just a check up, basically. Height, weight, all the normal stuff. It will be quicker if you cooperate," he tried to convince. Kate finally found the right muscles to open her mouth.

"Whatever," she mumbled, looking down at the floor. She was almost positive she was in hell, and this was her eternal punishment- idiots talking down to her and doctors. Her thoughts of inferno and punishment faded when Alfred opened the door, who was dressed up for the part of a doctor- dark blue scrubs (which were dotted with Captain America shields), neon blue latex gloves on his hands, and a stethoscope around his neck like a medal.

"You look stupid. Here, start with Walter," Arthur commanded, guiding Walt towards the giant medical bed. Everything in the room was that of a real doctor's office- a clean white room, jars of cotton balls, needle caps, and tongue depressors, a scale, and a tape measure for height. Walt glared at Arthur.

"It's Walt," he snapped before flopping himself on the bed. Kate sat down on the floor and held her knees to her chest. Arthur tapped her shoulder, so she looked up. Arthur offered her a red book with black letters spelling out, "The Beekeeper's Apprentice", the book she had been reading when she was kidnapped. She nodded her head in thanks and began to read, starting on page 172.

Kate read until page 210 because she was informed that it was her turn. "Dudette, you're up! Take off your shoes and get onto to the scale," Alfred commanded. Kate dog-eared the page and went up to the scale. She winced at the digital numbers on the scale. "Huh. You seem kinda underweight. Kay. Height?" Kate shuffled off the scale and stood next to Alfred. He dropped a tape measure and made note of her 5' 4" height in his notebook. "Cool! Move to the table, dudette! We'll get some more basic stuff, kay?" Kate moved to the table, still silent. Honestly, at least Walt had griped! The silence was just plain eerie to America, since he was used to all noise all the time. The silence continued until the end of the near end of the check up. "Alright, dudette. Just one little booster shot and-" Kate shot up like a bullet and sprinted out the door. Walt smirked while the Alfred and Arthur cursed under their breaths and sprinted out after her. Walt went to the doorway and called out, "Run, Forrest, run!" before walking back to the "doctor's office".

Kate skidded to a halt and looked around frantically. They were on a blimp! How hard was it to get lost on a blimp!? Apparently, not very hard at all. Hearing the yelling of Arthur and Alfred, she quickly chose a hallway and ran with it. She heard male voices communicating, so she listened for Liam's voice. She ran to the very end of the hallway, for she hadn't heard Liam's voice. She heard a thudding on the last door and decided to take a chance. She barged in and stared helplessly at two boys, one of which was Liam and the other was that pale, dark haired boy from before.

Liam stood up. "Kate? What are those jerks trying to pull?" he asked protectively. Kate gulped in a deep breath and answered him.

"They're doing a doctor check up, and one of them wants to insert a death stick into my skin! Please, let me hide in here, I'll be quiet," Kate begged. Liam nodded with no hesitation.

"Sure. Under my bed." Kate sighed with relief and got down on all fours.

"Uh, Kate? That's your name, right? Shots really aren't that bad. It's like getting pinched very fast. Nothing bad happens," the boy tried to coerce. Liam laughed slightly with a smile.

"Try all you want, Alvaro. Kate's been afraid of needles and doctors since I met her. A leopard can't change its spots," Liam laughed.

"If they come by, tell them to check the girl's wing. I'm not coming out," she mumbled from underneath Liam's bed. As if on cue, there was a quick set of knocks and Liam shushed her.

"Si, slave drivers?" Alvaro asked moodily through the door. Alfred opened the door.

"Hey, the US stopped slavery a while ago. We're not slave drivers, so shut it, Alvie," Alfred pouted. Alvaro grit his teeth at the irritating nickname.

"Don't call me that, slave driver!" Alfred totally ignored the Spanish boy.

"Anyways, me and Arthur are looking for Kathryn Whitman. You know, kinda short, bad temper, brown bob with curls at the end? Blue eyes? Know where she is?" he asked, looking straight at Liam. Liam kept up his poker face.

"Have you tried, oh I don't know, her room first?" Liam asked in feigned annoyance. Alfred shook his head.

"Nah, dudette is too smart for that. Unless…" A look of understanding dawned on Alfred's face. "Unless she knows that we know she's smart, so she acted dumb by going to her room! Thanks, dudes!" And with that, Alfred shut the door. Kate sighed in relief and crawled out from under the bed.

"Oh my God, they overestimate me. I don't know if I should be worried or grateful," she chuckled. The door slammed open again and Alfred and Arthur smirked triumphantly. Kate's smile dropped and terror was back in her eyes.

"HAHAHA! Told you that would work, Iggy!" Arthur shrugged good-naturedly.

"Yes, you did. Now Kathryn, don't make this any harder than it has to be. It's just a quick little prick," Arthur swore. Kate shook her head rapidly and backed herself up against the wall.

"Uh uh. No. Nyet. Nein. Ie. Di. Non. Nei," Kate denied, looking around for an escape route and breathing hard. Arthur sighed and speed walked over to the girl and hoisted her over his shoulder.

"No matter how many languages you say "no" in, you're still getting the bloody shot, so calm down," Arthur commanded, growing impatient. Kate kicked and punched at the Brit's back, but it made no difference. Alfred caught a flailing arm and swiftly pushed the needle into her bicep and pulled the needle out. Kate bit her lip to contain a scream, and she glared at the two evil doctors. The two sighed as Alfred put on an Iron Man band-aid.

"Finally," Alfred grumbled. "I'm starving." The two walked away, Kate glaring a hole into their torsos.

"We've got to get out of here. There's no other option. I don't care what they want us for anymore, but I don't want to be with them," she thought, gazing at her companions. Her gaze turned to the sketch-book and pencil in Alvaro's hand. "You guys want to play hangman? I'm bored, and we might as well if we're stuck here, right?" she asked. Alvaro gave her an odd look, but Liam had caught on to her tone. That tone had delayed their capture for forty-five minutes, so he figured it was best to trust the tone.

"Sure. You want to start, Kate?" Liam asked. Kate glanced at him gratefully.

"Yeah." Alvaro handed over his sketch-book and pencil. Kate drew six horizontal lines for the sixth word, two lines for the fifth, five lines for the fourth, two lines for the third, three lines for the second, and three lines for the first. She drew the little hanger, and turned to Liam. "Guess a letter."

Liam knew Kate well. Kate thrived on mind games like word puzzles and logic puzzles. This was another puzzle to her, meaning it had to be semi-important. He'd reckon it was about outsmarting their kidnappers, so he guessed an "I" for idea. Kate nodded, and wrote down an "I" in the 11th slot of 21 slots.

"Your turn, Alvaro," she offered, keeping her poker face strong. He gave her a weird look, still not understanding why she and Liam were acting strange, but guessed an "O". She actually smiled and wrote down an O in the second, ninth, and fourteenth slots.

"Go Liam." And so the secret message game continued until there were four slots left, and Alvaro finally understood where this was going. Was she insane for trying to insinuate that they could? Yes. Did Alvaro trust her enough to go with her on this? Absolutely. Alvaro had heard the angry Italian Lovino/Romano rant at the two German dudes for letting a teenage girl evade capture for so long. Alvaro guessed the final letter, an "E". Kate full on grinned and handed him the sketch book.

"Pick a word," she invited. By word, Alvaro was pretty sure she meant idea, but she was expecting him to think of a plan? Instead Alvaro wrote down two words, the first having three letters, and the second having five.

"Liam, guess a letter," Alvaro said. Seeing Alvaro's confused expression, Liam already had an idea of what the puzzle solution was, so he guessed an "A" . Alvaro wrote down the A in the first slot and the seventh slot.

Kate guessed a "Y", so Alvaro filled in the third slot. Kate frowned. She already knew what the solution was. "Can I solve it real fast?" Alvaro nodded and handed her the sketchbook and pencil. She scribbled in the rest of the message. She bit her lip in thought. Wasn't much of a brainstorm if there were only three of them there, out of the 12 people kidnapped. "Why don't we get the others to play? It makes it more interesting, since I can practically read Liam's mind," she scoffed. Liam spread his arms out in an offended gesture.

"Hey!" Kate shrugged with a smirk.

"Not my fault you're easier to read than a picture book. Is that ok?" she asked, referring to her first question. Alvaro nodded.

"Si, that's probably best." Kate nodded and twirled on her foot to go recruit more people for their mission. Once Kate left down the hall, Alvaro smirked at Liam.

"So you two must be pretty close for her to read your mind, eh?" he asked saucily, grinning lecherously at Liam. Liam huffed and swatted him with the pillow that was on his bed.

"Shut it, bull fighter."

"Seriously! You two must be really good friends for her to know your cues that well," he elaborated, still with that stupid grin on his face.

"We met through English class. She was my tutor because English class is stupid and I didn't pay any attention. I found out she liked Marvel over DC. Bugged her ever since, and we became friends," he summarized, keeping it short and sweet.

Honestly, Kate and Liam hated each other when they first met. Kate, as the too-damn-smart, supposed-to-be-freshman tutor, thought he was a slacker. Liam assumed she had a stick permanently up her ass because she was the only freshman in the sophomore English class. One day, Kate's ringtone played, and Walt was pleasantly surprised that it was the main chorus from "The Avengers". The two had bonded since then.

"Guys, I think we have some more interesting puzzles to solve now," Kate reported, snapping Liam out of his reverie. Every kidnapped kid stood behind her, ready for something good. Liam stood up and spread his arms out wide in "welcome gesture".

"Sit in a circle, peeps. We'll be following a theme. The theme's already been set on a few previous rounds. We'll have Viola and company go first, since they're the oldest," Liam suggested. Everyone nodded and sat down in a circle. Viola grabbed the sketchbook and pencil while her other two triplets looked over her shoulder.

"Food's the category then? Let's play," Marc said, grinning wickedly.

The English Johnson triplets' Hangman idea was actually decent, however, a variable seemed to be missing. Luca, the fourteen-year-old Italian boy, pointed these out in his Hangman puzzle. Penelope Durand, the 17-year-old that Gilbert (also known as Evil Albino to the Americans) had been teasing in French, solved his puzzle, and she created a few solutions, though some of them created more problems. Jordan Marks, the 18-year-old Californian, brought up points that didn't solve the problems, but brought everyone to a sound conclusion. Val, who had solved Jordan's, nodded and was passed the sketchbook.

Val's last puzzle was the finalizing note. Even though it was one of the longest puzzles, no one had trouble solving it. Gilbert barged in the room and glared at all of them. Walt, who still hadn't forgiven him for being so rude to Kate, stood up, and the two big egos had a glare-off. Finally, Evil Albino caved.

"You unawesome people need to eat. There's dinner in the kitchen. Try not to stain the carpet. This is my best Zeppelin," he growled before stalking out of the room. Before the detainees followed him, they all read the Hangman messages one more time.

Puzzle 1- How are we going to escape?-Kate Whitman

Puzzle 2- Any Ideas?- Alvaro Fernández

Puzzle 3- There's a lower level. We can hide until we hit the ground. We run while the kidnappers are distracted when they unboard- Jack, Marc, and Viola Johnson

Puzzle 4- Good idea, but how do we get to the lower level?- Luca Costa

Puzzle 5- There's a door in the main hallway that leads to maintenance in lower level, I saw blonde German go down with wrench, but it may be locked. What then?- Penelope Durand

Puzzle 6- The locks are just a slot. Anyone with long nails can unlock it. The real problem is security- Jordan Marks

Puzzle 7- Meet in the main hallway at midnight. There may be security detail but we have to risk it. It's the best plan we have. Those guys won't know what hit them.- Val Jerome


End file.
